Cost of living comparison
compared to
Houston vs. Iceland Cost of Living Summary
Houston is 3.1% cheaper than Iceland overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 26.8% less in Houston
- Groceries
-
pay 25.0% less in Houston
- Transportation
-
pay 36.6% less in Houston
- Housing
-
pay 10.1% more in Houston
- Childcare
-
pay 2.3 times more in Houston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 28.2% less in Houston
- Clothing
-
pay 46.1% less in Houston
The cost of childcare and housing in Houston are more expensive than in Iceland. Expenses including clothing, transportation, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Houston. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Houston.
Houston vs. Iceland Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Houston instead of Iceland, you would:
pay 26.8% less for restaurants
|
Iceland
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$26.52
ISK3,394
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$21.32
ISK2,728
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.11
ISK398
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.72
ISK348
|
$2.23
|
|
Iceland vs. Houston - Cost of restaurants
pay 25.0% less for groceries
|
Iceland
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.80
ISK487
|
$3.23
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.44
ISK1,208
|
$6.32
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.78
ISK996
|
$3.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.71
ISK859
|
$4.35
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$11.22
ISK1,436
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.50
ISK191
|
$1.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.15
ISK147
|
$0.67
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.41
ISK181
|
$1.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.34
ISK300
|
$1.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.65
ISK211
|
$1.20
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.09
ISK140
|
$1.05
|
|
Iceland vs. Houston - Cost of groceries
pay 36.6% less for transportation
|
Iceland
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$9.65
ISK1,235
|
$2.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$79.56
ISK10,182
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$49,144.25
ISK6,289,481
|
$36,278.39
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$25.55
ISK3,270
|
$14.39
|
|
Iceland vs. Houston - Cost of transportation
pay 10.1% more for housing
|
Iceland
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$95.65
ISK12,241
|
$70.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,289.17
ISK292,968
|
$1,660.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,830.04
ISK234,209
|
$1,287.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$65.15
ISK8,338
|
$145.65
|
|
Iceland vs. Houston - Cost of housing
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
Iceland
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$334.67
ISK42,830
|
$1,258.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,711.08
ISK3,930,404
|
$26,120.00
|
|
Iceland vs. Houston - Cost of childcare
pay 28.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iceland
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$11.14
ISK1,426
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.62
ISK720
|
$5.41
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.90
ISK1,778
|
$9.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$78.17
ISK10,004
|
$37.29
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.75
ISK2,144
|
$15.00
|
|
Iceland vs. Houston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 46.1% less for clothing
|
Iceland
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$130.91
ISK16,753
|
$45.57
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$61.83
ISK7,913
|
$44.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$163.81
ISK20,965
|
$98.95
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$237.31
ISK30,371
|
$116.43
|
|
Iceland vs. Houston - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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